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Difficulty: EasyFederal System of Government

Which of the following structural features distinguishes a federal system of government from a unitary system?

  1. Constitutional division of powers between central and regional authoritiesAnswer
  2. B
    Delegation of administrative functions to local units at the sole discretion of the central government
  3. C
    Retention of ultimate sovereignty by component regional units over the central government
  4. D
    Vesting of legal sovereignty entirely in the electorate rather than legislative institutions

Answer

The constitutional division of powers between central and regional authorities distinguishes a federal system from a unitary system.
A federal system is characterized by a formal constitutional division of legislative and executive powers between the central government and component states/regions, ensuring coordinate authority.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the defining constitutional characteristic of federalism.
Federal systems divide authority between a central government and component units via a supreme constitution.
Neither level of government derives its primary legislative authority from the other.
2
Compare this with unitary delegation and confederal sovereignty.
Unitary states rely on central delegation (devolution), whereas confederations preserve component sovereignty.
Constitutional division of power is unique to federal setups.

Key Concept

Constitutional Division of Powers in a Federal System
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Federal System of Government

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